Newsletter

Carter: Ogeechee dilemma: Jobs vs. river

One of my grandfathers, Earl Ford, owned Ford’s Bait Station located on Highway 80 near Dean Forest Road in what is now Garden City.

I used to help my grandfather around the station where he taught me all about fish bait. No sooner than I was able to walk, I could tell the difference between a red wiggler, Louisiana pink and a Catawba worm.

Along with my dad and my other grandfather he also taught me about fishing. But most importantly all three taught me about the beauty of nature and our responsibility in protecting our environment.

That’s why the fish kill in the Ogeechee River earlier this summer, the largest in our state’s history, upset me and others so much.

An estimated 38,000 fish of about 15 species killed in one of the most beautiful rivers in our state? How could this have happened ?

Almost immediately it became evident that King America Finishing in Screven County was the culprit after a Department of Natural Resources agent noticed that 50 yards upstream of the company’s outflow pipe fish were alive and jumping and below the pipe they were dead.

Last week , the Georgia Environmental Protection Division entered into a consent order with the company that calls for $1 million worth of environmental projects on the river to be funded by the company.

While EPD points out that this is the largest settlement of this type in Georgia’s history, others still feel that the company is getting off light. EPD points out that they will have to approve the projects proposed by the company and if they are not acceptable the company will have to pay the fine in cash to the state treasury.

EPD also points out that the company is prohibited from claiming state or federal tax deductions for the cost of the projects and that any publicity about the projects must acknowledge that it was undertaken as part of an enforcement settlement for violation of the Georgia Clean Water Act.

The company is also required to make upgrades to their wastewater treatment facility. Cost estimates are in the $2 million range.

Perhaps most important is that the discharge permits for the company have been adjusted to tie the amount of future discharge to the flow level of the river. Also, ammonia is now being trucked off site for disposal and not going into the river.

While all of these fines and requirements are good, are they enough? For those of us who love the river, probably not.

But what about the nearly 500 jobs the company provides? In a state that has an unemployment rate above 10 percent, closing them down would be a big loss. Most legislators believe that the top issue today is job development.

Such is the dilemma that EPD and the state face. How do we balance economic development with our environment? While it is not easy, it must be done.

It’s inexcusable that a company that produces 70 percent of the fire retardant material in the nation has been discharging into a Georgia river for the past six years without EPD’s knowledge.

Like the other senators and representatives who represent areas on the Ogeechee, I want to see this cleaned up and make certain it never happens again.